Back when traffic was more abundant and the economy less beleaguered, the deal seemed like a good plan for both sides. Now that the situation has changed, NTTA must find a way to pay its creditors the owed $6.1 billion, and increasing toll fees looks like its only option.

But with traffic already down from people wanting to save money, higher fees might only deter them from using the roads further.

Many argue that the NTTA might have avoided some of the current pressure by not paying such a high price to begin with.